Non-plastic container for storing food

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an improved non-plastic container for storing food in which a lid fabricated using plastic based on an injection molding method is sealingly engaged to a non-plastic container body formed of a heat resisting glass, a stainless material, a heat resisting ceramic ware, etc. The food storing container having a non-plastic container body comprises a closed ring shaped plastic rim formed in an upper side of an opening of the non-plastic container body wherein the closed ring shaped plastic rim surrounds all outer surrounding portions of the container body; and at least more than locking protrusion integrally formed at the opposite sides of the plastic rim wherein the locking protrusions are inserted into locking holes formed in locking wings of the plastic lid.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a non-plastic container for storingfood, and in particular to an improved non-plastic container for storingfood in which a lid fabricated using plastic based on an injectionmolding method is sealingly engaged to a non-plastic container bodyformed of a heat resisting glass, a stainless material, a heat resistingceramic ware, etc.

2. Description of the Background Art

Generally, a container body of a container capable of storing foods isformed of a plastic material approved for storing foods, a heatresisting glass, a heat resisting ceramic ware, a stainless, etc. A liddetachably engaged to an opening of a container body formed of the abovematerial is generally formed of a plastic material.

The plastic lid has a certain engaging structure capable of sealingengaging an opening of a container body for stably storing foods storedin the container body. Recently, a plastic lid capable of storing foodsstored in the container body in a sealed state without any leakage hasbeen developed. For example, in the case of a food storing containerwith the Korean patent No. 335718 developed by the inventor of thepresent invention, locking wings are formed at four sides of the plasticlid wherein the locking wings are foldable. Each locking wing has atleast more than one locking hole. In addition at least more than onelocking protrusion engaged to the locking hole is formed in an outerside of the container body. In the above storing container, in a statethat the lid is engaged to the opening of the container body, when eachlocking wing is folded in the direction of the container body, thelocking protrusion of the container body is elastically inserted intothe locking hole of the locking wing. At this time, since the lockingwing operates to pull the lid itself in the direction of the containerbody, the lid is strongly pulled in the direction of the container body,so that the lid is very elastically engaged closely to the opening ofthe container body for thereby enhancing a sealing force of the lid.

In the case of the locking protrusion engaged to the locking hole formedin the locking wing of the lid, the locking protrusion is integrallyformed in the container body by the injection molding method. However,it is impossible to form any protrusion in the container body formed ofa heat resisting tempered glass, stainless or heat resisting ceramicware that is a non-plastic material, the lid having the locking wing isnot adapted to the non-plastic container body.

Therefore, in the case of glass, it has a melting point largely higherthan the melting point of the plastic, and it is impossible to obtain adesired flexibility in a melted state, the injection molding isimpossible as compared to the plastic product. In addition, a massproduction is impossible. In addition, a product made of glass does nothave a complicated shape and has a small thickness difference. It isimpossible to form a complicated shape having a thin thickness at anouter surface of the product. In the case that there is a largethickness difference in the glass product, the product may be broken ormay have cracks during a cooling process after molding by a contractiondifference during the cooling process.

In the case of the stainless material, it has a very high strength anddoes not have any rusts. However, a molding property is very bad due toits high strength. It is impossible to form a product havingprotrusions.

Therefore, in the cases of the non-plastic container body formed ofglass, stainless material or ceramic ware and the plastic lid formed bythe injection molding method, the engaging method of the locking holeand the locking protrusion is not adapted. Namely, the structure of FIG.10 is adapted.

The construction of the conventional container will be described. Thenon-plastic container body 100 includes an engaging shoulder 101 havinga small size and protruded from an outer portion of the opening of thesame. The plastic lid 200 includes a cover part 201 for covering thecontainer body 100, a contact part 202 contacting with the opening ofthe container body, a covering part 203 for covering an outer side ofthe opening of the container body, a plurality of extension parts 204downwardly extending from the portion opposite to the covering part 203and flexibly extending in the direction of the outer side, and anengaging protrusion 205 protruded from the inner surfaces of theextension parts 204 and elastically engaged and disengaged with theengaging shoulder 101 of the container body 100.

However, in the above described storing container, when the lid 200 isengaged to the opening of the container body 100, when the engagingprotrusions 205 protruded in the direction of the opposite innersurfaces of the extension parts 204 are pressed and get close in thedirection of the container body 100, the engaging protrusion 205 iselastically engaged to the engaging shoulder 101, and the lid 200 isengaged to the container body 100. However, since the engagingprotrusion 205 is engaged to the engaging shoulder by an elasticrecovering force of the extension part 204 itself, the engaging force isweak, and the lid 200 is pulled in the direction of the container body100, so that it is impossible to obtain a desired sealing force.Therefore, the lid is easily disengaged. Therefore, the storingcontainer formed of the non-plastic container body 100 and the plasticlid 200 cannot stably store the foods in the container body 100.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide anon-plastic container for storing food that overcomes the problemsencountered in the constructions between the non-plastic container bodyformed of glass, stainless or ceramic ware and the plastic lid.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a non-plasticcontainer for storing food capable of enhancing an engaging forcebetween a non-plastic container body formed of glass, stainless, ceramicware, etc. and a plastic lid for thereby largely increasing a sealingproperty therebetween. In addition, it is possible to stably store foodsbased on a high strength and high heat-resisting property of a containerbody.

To achieve the above objects, there is provided a food storing containerformed of a non-plastic container body formed of glass, stainless,ceramic ware, etc., and a plastic lid formed of plastic, a food storingcontainer having a non-plastic container body comprising a closed ringshaped plastic rim formed in an upper side of an opening of thenon-plastic container body wherein the closed ring shaped plastic rimsurrounds all outer surrounding portions of the container body; and atleast more than locking protrusion integrally formed at the oppositesides of the plastic rim wherein the locking protrusions are insertedinto locking holes formed in locking wings of the plastic lid.

The plastic rim is inserted into and engaged to an outer portion of thecontainer body with a certain tensional force.

The plastic rim is formed based on a double injection method in a statethat the container body is inserted into a plastic injection molding.

An engaging groove is formed on an outer surface of the upper side ofthe opening of the non-plastic container body for enhancing an engagingforce with the plastic rim.

When forming the plastic rim in the container body based on the doubleinjection method, a plastic coating layer is integrally formed with theplastic rim wherein the plastic coating layer surrounds the outersurface and lower portions of the container body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become better understood with reference tothe accompanying drawings which are given only by way of illustrationand thus are not limitative of the present invention, wherein;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a non-plastic container forstoring food according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view illustrating a non-plastic containerfor storing food according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view illustrating a state of use of anon-plastic container for storing food according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view illustrating a non-plastic containerfor storing food according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view illustrating a non-plastic containerfor storing food according to further another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a construction that more than at least onelocking protrusion is selectively formed each side of a container bodyaccording to the present invention;

FIGS. 7 through 9 are plane views of lids sealingly engaged to acontainer body according to the present invention;

FIGS. 10 and 11 are a disassembled perspective view and a crosssectional view of an engaged state of a conventional container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a non-plastic container forstoring food according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a crosssectional view illustrating a non-plastic container for storing foodaccording to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a cross sectional viewillustrating a state of use of a non-plastic container for storing foodaccording to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a cross sectional viewillustrating a non-plastic container for storing food according toanother embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a cross sectionalview illustrating a non-plastic container for storing food according tofurther another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a viewillustrating a construction that more than at least one lockingprotrusion is selectively formed each side of a container body accordingto the present invention, and FIGS. 7 through 9 are plane views of lidssealingly engaged to a container body according to the presentinvention.

In the drawings, reference numeral 1 represents a non-plastic containerbody, and 2 represents a plastic lid. Here, the non-plastic containerbody 1 is formed of glass or stainless having a low molding property anda high heat resisting property or ceramic ware, and the plastic lid 2 isformed of a plastic material. In addition, the container body 1 and thelid 2 are fabricated separately from each other.

In the present invention, the non-plastic container body 1 is fabricatedusing glass or stainless or ceramic ware. The thusly fabricatednon-plastic body 1 is inserted into a plastic injection molding. Aplastic rim 3 is formed in such a manner that the outer portions of theupper part 11 of the opening of the container body 1 is fully surroundedby a double injection method. A locking protrusion 31 is integrallyformed at the opposite portions in the rim 3 in such a manner that atleast more than one locking protrusion in each portion or one lockingprotrusion in each surface of the container body.

A closed ring shaped plastic rim 3 having the locking protrusion 31formed in the above manner is formed by an injection molding method andis inserted into an outer portion of the container body 1. At this time,the plastic rim 3 has a tension force, so that it is not easilydisengaged.

In addition, when forming the non-plastic container body 1, an engaginggroove 12 is formed at the upper portion 11 of the opening. Whenengaging the plastic rim 3 is to the outer portion of the container body1 by the double injection method, the plastic rim 3 is inserted into theengaging groove 12 for thereby enhancing the engaging force of theplastic rim 3. The above construction method is adapted to the methodthat the plastic rim 3 is inserted and engaged.

In addition, when the plastic rim is processed by the double injectionmethod in a state that the non-plastic container body 1 is inserted intothe plastic injection molding, a plastic coating layer 32 may beintegrally formed in such a manner that it surrounds the outer surfaceand entire lower portions of the container body 1 of the lower side ofthe rim 3. Therefore, it is possible to maintain a desired strength andheat resisting property. In addition, the outer construction of thecontainer body may have various different colors and shapes.

Here, the plastic lid 2 is formed by an injection molding using aplastic material to correspond to the shape of the container body 1. Thelid 2 includes a cover part 21 formed in a plane shape, and an engagingpart 22 engaged to the opening of the container body 1. A locking wing23 is formed in a surrounding portion of the lid 2 and is smoothlyfolded and unfolded along a hinge line. At least one locking wing 23 isformed in the opposite surfaces or the locking wing 23 is formed in eachsurface of the container body 1. A locking hole 24 into which thelocking protrusion 31 is inserted is formed in each locking wing 23.

A sealing packing 4 formed of a silicon material is engaged in the innerside of the engaging part 22 of the plastic lid 2.

The operation of the present invention will be described as follows.

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating the plastic container body 1 formed in arectangular shape wherein each side has a rounder corner. In thisembodiment of the present invention, the plastic rim 3 having thelocking protrusion 31 is formed in the outer surface of the upperportion 11 of the opening of the container body 1 by the doubleinjection method.

The plastic rim 3 formed in the non-plastic container body 1 maintainsengaged to the upper portion 11 of the container body by an adheringforce of the plastic itself and a contraction operation after the doubleinjection. Therefore, even when the plastic lid 2 is repeatedly engagedand disengaged for many times, the plastic rim 3 is not separated fromthe container body 1.

In addition, when engaging the plastic lid 2 to the non-plasticcontainer body 1, as shown in FIG. 3, the surrounding portion of theopening of the container body 1 contacts with the sealing packing 4engaged in the engaging part 22 of the lid 2, and the locking wing 23formed in the lid 2 is rotated in the direction of the container body 1,and the locking wing 23 is pressed to the container body 1, so that thelocking hole 24 is engaged to the locking protrusion 31. At this time,the protrusion position of the locking protrusion 31 is at the portionin which the locking wing 24 of the locking wing 23 is slightly moved inthe lower direction and is elastically and rightly engaged. Therefore,when the locking holes 24 of each locking wing 23 are inserted onto thelocking protrusions 31 and are engaged thereby, the lid 2 itself isslightly moved down in such a manner that the lid 2 elastically pressesthe surrounding portions of the opening of the container body 1.Therefore, the sealing packing 4 engaged to the engaging part 22 iselastically pressed for thereby sealing the opening of the containerbody 1. Therefore, it is possible to engage the plastic lid 2 to thenon-plastic container body 1 in a sealed state.

In addition, when separating the plastic lid 2 that is engaged to thenon-plastic container body 1 in a sealed state, each locking wing 23engaged to the locking wings 31 is disengaged, so that the locking holes24 are escaped from the locking protrusions 31 for thereby disengagingthe lid 2.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the embodiment of the present invention, when thenon-plastic container body 1 is molded using glass, stainless or ceramicware as a source material, an engaging groove 12 is formed in a concaveshape on an outer surface of the upper portion 11 of the opening, andthe non-plastic container body 1 having the engaging groove 12 isinserted into the injection molding, and the process is performed in astate that the plastic rim 3 is engaged to the engaging groove 12 by thedouble injection method, so that the plastic rim 3 is more stablyengaged. When the engaging groove 12 is formed in the container body 1,even when the plastic rim 3 is engaged by a simple insertion andadhering method, not by the double injection method, it is possible toobtain a desired stability.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the embodiment of the present invention, thenon-plastic container body 1 is formed of glass, stainless or ceramicware, and the container body 1 is inserted into the injection moldingfor engaging the plastic rim 3 based on the double injection method. Aplastic coating layer 32 is integrally extended from the plastic rim 3for thereby surrounding the outer surface and lower (bottom) of thecontainer body 1. In the above embodiment of the present invention, theplastic lid 2 is engaged in a sealed state, and the plastic coatinglayer 32 surrounds the entire portions of the non-plastic container body1, so that it is possible to protect the container body 1 from anexternal impact. In addition, it is possible to express various colorsand shapes for thereby enhancing an outer look of the container.

In addition, as it is not shown in the drawings, in the case that thenon-plastic container body 1 is formed in a circle shape, the plasticrim 3 may be inserted and adhered or the plastic rim 3 and the lockingprotrusion 31 may be integrally formed at the upper portions of theopening of the container body by the double injection method usingplastic. In addition, the plastic coating layer 32 may be integrallyformed and may surround the entire portions of the container body.

As described above, the plastic rim having the locking protrusions isinserted and engaged to the non-plastic container body formed usingglass (including heat resisting tempered glass), stainless or ceramicware (including heat resisting ceramic ware) or the plastic rim isformed by the double injection method. In addition, the lid is formed ofplastic material, and the container body is formed of a material havinga high strength and heat resisting property. Therefore, any scratchesare not formed on the surfaces of the container, and the products arestable. It is possible to fabricate a container having a heat resistingproperty. A stable and strong sealing state is achieved between the lidand the container body. In a state that the lid is engaged, the lid isnot easily disengaged from the container body, so that it is possible tostable store foods.

In addition, in the case of the container body formed of transparentglass, the inner side of the container may be seen. It is possible tofabricate the container body having various colors and shapes. In thecase that the outer side of the container body is coated using plasticmaterial, it is possible to achieve various colors and shapes. The foodstoring container formed of the non-plastic container body and theplastic lid may be fabricated in various colors and shapes, so that thequality of the container is enhanced.

As the present invention may be embodied in several forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, itshould also be understood that the above-described examples are notlimited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unlessotherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within itsspirit and scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore allchanges and modifications that fall within the meets and bounds of theclaims, or equivalences of such meets and bounds are therefore intendedto be embraced by the appended claims.

1. A food storing container formed of a non-plastic container bodyformed of glass, stainless, ceramic ware, etc., and a plastic lid formedof plastic, a food storing container having a non-plastic containerbody, comprising: a closed ring shaped plastic rim formed in an upperside of an opening of the non-plastic container body wherein the closedring shaped plastic rim surrounds all outer surrounding portions of thecontainer body; and at least more than locking protrusion integrallyformed at the opposite sides of the plastic rim wherein the lockingprotrusions are inserted into locking holes formed in locking wings ofthe plastic lid.
 2. The container of claim 1, wherein the plastic rim isinserted into and engaged to an outer portion of the container body witha certain tensional force.
 3. The container of claim 1, wherein theplastic rim is formed based on a double injection method in a state thatthe container body is inserted into a plastic injection molding.
 4. Thecontainer of either claim 2 or 3, wherein an engaging groove is formedon an outer surface of the upper side of the opening of the non-plasticcontainer body for enhancing an engaging force with the plastic rim. 5.The container of either claim 2 or 3, wherein when forming the plasticrim in the container body based on the double injection method, aplastic coating layer is integrally formed with the plastic rim whereinthe plastic coating layer surrounds the outer surface and lower portionsof the container body.